Re: FC: Internet Content Coal. bars press from "news rating" mtg on 8/28 (fwd)

Jay Thomas (jpthomas@ix.netcom.com)
Fri, 12 Sep 1997 15:43:39 -0400


Rohit Khare wrote:
>=20
> Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 07:58:10 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
> To: fight-censorship-announce@vorlon.mit.edu
> Subject: FC: Internet Content Coal. bars press from "news rating" mtg=
on
> 8/28
>=20
>=20
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Mon, 25 Aug 1997 17:53:24 -0400
> From: Vin Crosbie <crosbie@well.com>
> Subject: ICC bars the press -- irony?
>=20
> Does anyone besides me find it both humorous and sad that this week's
> meeting of the Internet Content Coalition, during which it will likel=
y
> discuss its proposal to rate or label which websites offer 'news', wi=
ll be
> closed to the press?
<snip>

Just read this. Looks like they've taken a bit of flak for this
scheme.=20
Full article http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,14139,00.html

RSAC shelves news rating=20
By Tim Clark and Courtney Macavinta
September 10, 1997, 5:55 p.m. PT=20

WASHINGTON, D.C.--The Recreational
Software Advisory Council, which has created an
Internet ratings system for Web sites, has put its
controversial plan to create a special label for
news-oriented sites on hold.

RSAC's decision came after resistance from news
organizations, particularly from established players
in offline media, which raised First Amendment
concerns about the so-called "N" label.

"We are not aggressively pursuing the 'N' label at
this time," RSAC executive director Stephen
Balkam told CNET's NEWS.COM.
<snip>
The "N" label, Balkam said, was designed for news
sites so that parents concerned about what their
children might see in news reports--such as bloody
photographs from terrorist attacks, for
example--could use the designation to block their
children's access to news sites. Net surfers also
could use the label to let news in, while screening
out sex, violence, and foul language contained in
other "nonjournalistic" sites.
<snip>
Copyright =A9 1995-97 CNET, Inc. All rights reserved.=20

[Jay]